Nicole Tinson was speaking last April at a Dillard University scholarship luncheon in Los Angles, her hometown. She acknowledges that she probably shouldn't have been handed the microphone. Because when got it, she said made a bold promise. She said that as president of Dillard University's class of 2014 she was going to make sure that President Barack Obama spoke at commencement. It was only after she announced her plan that she said to herself, "I'm going to (have to) figure this out."

Tinson failed at her stated task, but it doesn't appear that anybody at Dillard cares. Because even though she didn't convince the president to come to campus for the May 10 commencement exercises, she did convince his wife, Michelle Obama.

When asked why she aimed so high in searching for a speaker to address her class, Tinson told a story that illustrates the continuing importance of historically black institutions such as Dillard. Her college counselor didn't think she should apply to college.

HBCU All-Star Helps Bring Michelle Obama to Dillard

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Nicole Tinson, political science major and senior class president of the graduating class of 2014

Nicole Tinson, a senior political science major and president of the graduating class of 2014, knew that it would take a special kind of commitment to make good on her promise of delivering a memorable commencement speaker on May 10. Tinson, named in February by the Department of Education as one of the nation’s 75 ‘HBCU All-Stars,’ wrote to the First Lady requesting that Dillard join the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Spelman College, North Carolina A&T State and Bowie State University among the FLOTUS’ HBCU graduation day stops.

“I never allowed others doubt in getting a great commencement speaker to bother me,” said the Los Angeles native. “I told my story [and the Dillard story] in a letter to Mrs. Obama and kept my faith. As senior class president, I made a vow to our class that we would have someone amazing for commencement and we have the FLOTUS. I don’t think it gets any more amazing than that.”

Dillard President Walter Kimbrough says that while the entire campus community is excited about Obama’s visit, Tinson deserves the credit.

“We are so excited to host First Lady Michelle Obama as our commencement speaker. But I am more excited that our senior class president, Nicole Tinson, used her Dillard tenacity and grit to get Mrs. Obama here. Nicole did this on her own and I am so proud of her.”

Dr. Wright featured in Huffington Post as One of 5 Black Environmentalist Worth Celebrating

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Dr. Beverly Wright

Dr. Wright is the founder and director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), and is also a professor of Sociology at Dillard University in New Orleans. She has veteran advocate for environmental justice, committed DSCEJ to focusing on restoring the city of New Orleans and its residents affected by Hurricane Katrina. In 1994, her exemplary research and advisory to former President Bill Clinton landed her a place at the White House signing of the Executive Order on Environmental Justice.

Whenever the legendary social worker talks about her long life, in which she has confronted the forces of segregation, taught generations of students and done as much as she could to ensure that poor people got a fair shake, it's always in terms of a group.

"We always did things as a group," she said on a recent afternoon. "It was never an 'I'; it was always a 'we.' . . . I didn't do any of this by myself. Not any. . . . We had to work together to accomplish things. One person can't do it alone."

But this time, it is about her because Charles, 90, has been chosen to receive The Times-Picayune Loving Cup for 2013. The Loving Cup has been awarded since 1901 to men and women who have worked unselfishly for the community without expectation of public recognition or material reward.

"I was really surprised" by the accolade, Charles said. "I appreciate that so much, but there were so many of us together. It wasn't just one person; it was the togetherness we had."

Throughout Charles' career, "her commitment to children and families and vulnerable populations has been amazing," McClain said. "For a long, long time, she has been committed to being a change agent, to committing her life to changing things for the better."

The New Orleans-born daughter of a Baptist preacher and a woman who believed in the value of education, Millie Ruth McClelland entered Dillard University when she was only 15 and graduated with a degree in secondary education.

Click to read more at NOLA.com

First Lady Michelle Obama to Deliver Commencement Address at Dillard Saturday, May 10

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First Lady Michelle Obama

(New Orleans, LA) – First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver the address at Dillard University on Saturday, May 10, when 243 students of Dillard University’s Class of 2014 walk down the Avenue of the Oaks during the commencement ceremony at 10 AM.

A product of Chicago public schools, Mrs. Obama studied sociology and African-American studies at Princeton University. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1988, she joined the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she later met the man who would become the love of her life.

After a few years, Mrs. Obama decided her true calling was working with people to serve their communities and their neighbors. She served as assistant commissioner of planning and development in Chicago's City Hall before becoming the founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program that prepares youth for public service.

In 1996, Mrs. Obama joined the University of Chicago with a vision of bringing campus and community together. As Associate Dean of Student Services, she developed the university's first community service program, and under her leadership as Vice President of Community and External Affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center, volunteerism skyrocketed.

Promoting Service and working with young people has remained a staple of her career and her interest. Continuing this effort now as First Lady, Mrs. Obama in 2010 launched Let’s Move!, a campaign to bring together community leaders, teachers, doctors, nurses, moms and dads in a nationwide effort to tackle the challenge of childhood obesity. Let’s Move! has an ambitious but important goal: to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation.

As First Lady, Mrs. Obama continues to work on the issues close to her heart — supporting military families, helping working women balance career and family, encouraging national service, promoting the arts and arts education, and fostering healthy eating and healthy living for children and families across the country.

Michelle and Barack Obama have two daughters: Malia and Sasha. Like their mother, the girls were born on the South Side of Chicago. Follow First Lady Michelle Obama on Twitter@FLOTUS.

Dillard University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or veteran/Reserve/National Guard status and prohibits such discrimination by its students, faculty and staff. Students, faculty and staff are assured of participation in University programs and use of facilities without such discrimination.